Photo Credit: Jim Brozek
It’s a sad time, and the end of an era in Milwaukee, with the passing of the popular and iconic local blues musician known only as Stokes. He was a great influence on almost every blues musician who knew and heard him, and they were many. His mastery of a variety of blues styles set him apart from other local bluesmen. Stokes could emulate John Lee Hooker one minute and B.B. King the next. He could play in the style of Robert Johnson, then turn around and sound remarkably like Muddy Waters or Bobby Blue Bland. He knew many soul and R&B tunes and also had a vast repertoire of ’50s rock songs.
The heart of playing blues music has much to do with singing. Stokes was an authentic master of blues singing and encompassed all the subtleties and nuances that separate great blues singers from average ones. The same can be said of blues guitar playing. Listening to Stokes, it was clear that he had studied and mastered the styles of the important blues guitarists whose tradition he carried on, but he always sounded uniquely like himself. Stokes was well known for using guitars and amplifiers that were considered outside the norm and making them sound great. His sound was consistently authentic and appropriate, no matter what equipment he was using. Perhaps the most important aspect of authentic blues playing is about playing with feeling. Stokes never sang or played a note that was not rich with feeling.
Stokes moved from Carthage Mississippi to Milwaukee in the early 1950s, following his friends and eventual bandmates, the brothers Clyde (harmonica, vocals) and Herbert Brooks (bass guitar). There was a strong blues scene in Milwaukee at the time, and many local and national blues acts played at places like Playboy’s Lounge on 12th and Vine, the Wilson Club on 10th and Center and the Down Under at Sixth and Vine. There was also a popular skating rink called the Riverview at North Avenue at the Milwaukee river.
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Among the most popular local artists was drummer Johnny Brown, who held down the house band at Playboy’s Lounge, owned and operated by a man named Leroy whom everyone called Playboy. Herbert and Clyde Brooks, and later Stokes, started playing blues at Playboy’s lounge in 1962 with Johnny Brown, Joe Robinson and Robert Watson. They mostly performed songs that could be heard on the jukebox by artists like B.B. King, Jimmy Reed and Elmore James, but they were also the backup band for national artists passing through. Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), the famous singer and harmonica player and Chess Records recording artist, used to play at Playboy’s Lounge two or three times a year for two weeks at a time. Other important local blues musicians at that time were Vernon Yancey, C.C. Cotton (who played harmonica at the Wheel of Fortune on 12th and Reservoir) Mighty Joe Young and Robert Jenkins.
The band evolved into the group that became known as Eugene and the Soul Gang, which featured Stokes, Clyde, Herbert, sax player Morris and organist Eugene. They held down a steady gig at Boobie’s Place on Fourth and Garfield, and they played there every Sunday afternoon for more than a decade until the bar’s closing in the late 1990s.
Starting around 1985, in addition to their North side gigs, Eugene and The Soul Gang were regular performers at popular East Side blues clubs like Hooligans, Murray Tap, Century Hall and The Up and Under, among many others.
Stokes also began performing with local white blues bands at this time. He was a member of Leroy Airmaster and then The Raw Rockers. Stokes also played occasionally with Jim Liban and Billy Flynn, as well as other blues groups. With the passing of Clyde and Herbert, Stokes became the leader of Stokes and The Old Blues Boys. Stokes also did some playing in recent years with the Blues Disciples. Stokes recorded with several of the aforementioned bands.
In recent years, Stokes and the Old Blues Boys found a home at Mamie’s, an authentic blues club on 32nd and National, where they played on a weekly basis for many years. Guitarist C.J. Topes performed here regularly with Stokes—until Stoke’s passing on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019.
Stokes was arguably the most important, influential and longest tenured bluesman ever to work in Milwaukee. His popularity was not limited to any one group of musicians or any one neighborhood. In addition to his phenomenal musicianship, Stokes was unassuming, humble, nonjudgmental and always willing to generously share the stage. He was a gentleman to the last moment and had a great sense of humor. Even the way Stokes talked had music in it. He played around Milwaukee for over 60 years. He will be missed and remembered for a long time to come. His influence cannot be overestimated.
